G. True Nelson: Former Deputy Sheriff, Military Officer, FBI Special Agent, and Security Consultant / Private Investigator. He currently resides in the Portland, Oregon Metro area. He is a writer on crime and judicial process; as well as discussing his personal observations on American culture and social mores.

RETURN

Thursday, May 23, 2013

I should let it go. I know as well as anyone that life is
unfair. The current example, a reminder
once more, is that Jahar Tsarnaev, age 19, will undoubtedly spend the remainder
of his life – ultimately going insane – in a maximum security, solitary cell;
or he might be executed. And, no, this
is not about sympathy for Jahar. Maybe
his dubious ‘cause’ will give him some solace as he slowly rots away in a
cell or confronts a grave. What went
through the minds of he and his brother, Tamerlan, will always remain a mystery
to the majority of us. It was so stupid
and senseless.

“Life is a tale told by an idiot, full of
sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Cannot we all relate to that Shakespearian
line from Macbeth? In deed, a depressing thought tinged with authenticity.

In 1975, I was a Special Agent with the FBI,
and one of three Agents assigned to the Weathermen Squad – and located in the
Berkeley, California Resident Agency. Our offices were in a multi-story modern
building.

March 27th, Thursday, a bomb was detonated in the men’s restroom
which was immediately outside our office; and was the public restroom the
Agents were required to use. I received a telephone call late that night
directing me to report to the office without delay. Upon arrival, it was clear
the bomb was a high-explosive device. The bomb had been planted in the plumbing
alcove behind one of the restroom’s two toilets. It completely destroyed the
target restroom as well as the restrooms one floor up and one floor down. The
hall outside our restroom and the front entrance to our office were in
shambles. The interior of the FBI office received moderate damage. Over the
next few days, the Red Guerrilla Family took responsibility. This was a group unknown to the FBI. The Bureau’s consensus opinion seemed to be that the name was
nothing more than a nom de guerre for a more well-known group, probably the
Weathermen. This was a common practice back in the 70’s for radical groups to use
various names. The crime was never solved.

In the way of
background, Berkeley was a hot-bed of radical activity, and a focal point for
the hunt for the various members of the Weathermen. We (the Agents assigned to
Berkeley) were required to rotate – each of us spending a night in the office.
In that there were about twenty Agents assigned to that office, the overnight
duty came up about every three weeks. There was an Agent in the office that
particular night, armed with a shotgun and his service revolver. He received a
call late at night, early AM actually, warning him that a bomb was about to
go-off. It was well known to all of us that one of the terrorists’ techniques
for assassinating a law enforcement officer was to lure them out of the office,
out into the open. Remember, this was the middle of the night. In this
instance, the Agent decided to take his chances on the street. I’ve often
wondered what I would have done – stayed in the office or went out to the
street. The Agent passed within two to three feet of the restroom as he made
his way out of the building. If the bomb had exploded at that point, he
undoubtedly would have been killed. If he had stopped in the restroom, at the
time of the explosion, we would have been picking his pieces up in a basket.Just a little history
refresher – the Weathermen, later known as the Weather Underground Organization
(WUO) were a radical and violent off-shoot of the Students for a Democratic
Society (the SDS). The Weathermen were founded in about 1970 by Bernardine
Dohrn (DOB 1/12/42) and William Charles Ayers, aka Bill (DOB 12/26/44).
Based on what we knew about Dohrn and Ayers, my FBI colleagues and I had our
own opinions. Bill Ayers was considered to be a little weasel, from a rich family, a
poseur trying to hold his own in a basically women lead group. Bernardine
Dohrn, also from a well-to-do family, was considered to be sociopathic and
dangerous. I carefully studied the Weathermen photographs. Their lives, their
families, their writings were a constant preoccupation. It was conceivable that I could inadvertently
bump into one of them while walking down Telegraph Avenue, near UC Berkeley. Dohrn was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List for about three years.Just a recap of some of
the Weathermen’s known accomplishments:• Bombing – New York
City Police Headquarters in 1970.• Bombing – U.S. Capitol
Building in 1971.• In 1970, Bill Ayers’
paramour (at the time), Diana Oughton, was accidentally killed, along with two
other Weathermen members, as they packed nails into a bomb they were
constructing. The intended victims of that particular bomb were soldiers at
Fort Dix.• Bill Ayers’ later
became ‘romantically’ involved with his associate and future wife, Bernardine
Dohrn, a lovely young woman, two years his senior. One of her documented quotes
regarding the Charles Manson murders was as follows: “Dig it! First they killed
those pigs and then they put a fork in their bellies. Wild!” (At that time, Dohrn was 28 years of
age. She was well past late adolescence and her early formative
years - in contrast to Jahar.)
• Later Dohrn served a
short prison term for ‘failing to cooperate’ in the prosecution of those
directly involved in a Brinks’ robbery (1981) – during which two police
officers and a security guard were killed.
This trial ultimately led to the conviction of Kathy Boudin, a WUO close associate and friend of Dohrn and Ayers. Kathy Boudin, upon being sentenced to prison,
allowed her infant son to be adopted and raised by Bernardine and Bill.

So why were not Dohrn
and side-kick Ayers more successfully prosecuted? Well, it’s my understanding
that it was mostly because of a law enforcement operation, referred to in the
FBI as COINTELLPRO. It was a program to infiltrate and neutralize dangerous
organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, the Communist Party and other extremist
groups – including the Weathermen. Many prosecutive cases were lost due to what
some might consider overzealous investigative techniques. I never participated
in that program, nor do I know anyone who did. The other factor in Ayers’
corner was a rich daddy. It seems money often trumps responsibility for one’s
actions.

Rich daddy ultimately
assisted both Bernardine and Bill in obtaining university professor positions
in the Chicago area. Some might say that
Bernardine and Bill are repentant and changed, and that Bernardine is well-liked
in certain circles. Changed and
repentant is far from true. They may be
liked by some. Some might say she bakes
cookies and serves tea. Yes, and of
course, there will always be the ring of fools there to share the tea and
cookies. Many in the WUO, including the aforementioned,
possessed sociopathic personalities.
Nothing has changed in that regard.
I never met Bernardine or Bill; but I, for one, remember who they were
and undoubtedly who they are now; and who they will always be. Some have forgotten. I have not.

Jahar will rot in prison – as he should. Bernardine and Bill will drift off into a
very comfortable retirement surrounded by sycophants and fools. Life is not fair.

Back then, Bernardine, sexy and sociopathic,
would have gladly killed me or any of my associates and spit on our graves. Has she changed? I doubt it.

Friday, May 17, 2013

I haven’t written for a while. I’ve been well. The boss and I are doing well. We just returned from a trip to the Oregon
Coast. Although I’m from Southern
California originally, this was my first trip to the ocean. It was wonderful – running along the beach,
digging in the sand, chasing the birds, and I even got a little wet in the
ocean. I’m not much of a swimmer. The picture, above, was taken when I was just
settling-in for my afternoon nap.

I can’t say enough good things about the accommodations –
very ‘dog friendly’ as they say. During
check-in, I was given a clean quilt to sleep on, my own towel, and a very tasty
treat. My compliments to the staff. Of course, the boss brought along my luggage
to include my bed, food and treats, ball, brush, etc. I was very comfortable.

Well, that’s the update from here. Warm wishes to all.

Watson

True’s postscript:
Watson is asleep now and I thought I would make some of my own
comments. Everything did not go
particularly well on this trip, as far as Mr. Watson is concerned. He is continuing his ‘dog aggressive’
attitude, very aggressive. I try to keep
him on the leash whenever other dogs are nearby; but if they come within 50
yards or so, Watson is off to the races in attack mode. It doesn’t seem to matter the size of the
other dog involved. On leash, he is
yanking and pulling trying to get at the dog.
Watson weighs about 18 pounds, so he is not a particularly big threat to
most dogs. However, if some dog decides
to teach him a lesson, which would be probably deserved, I will be the one
rushing Watson to the vet. The bottom
line is that he just doesn’t seem to like other dogs. I don’t know if this could be a defense
mechanism that he has learned in the various animal shelters in which he has spent
time.

I have signed-up for a class over the next several weeks; a
class designed to correct this problem.
However, if any of you have any good suggestions, or similar experience, as Dr. Crane says, “I’m
listening.”

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Jodi Arias has stated that, regarding her sentence for First
Degree Murder, she wants to receive the ‘death penalty.’ I’m not sure if this is a sincere comment or
a bit of post-conviction grand-standing.

I’ve written quite a bit on my opinions about capital
punishment. For the most part, I support
‘death’ for certain crimes, the more horrendous ones. My problem with capital punishment is that it
is often given indiscriminately, and that in many states (including Oregon) the
jury decides. I, personally, do not feel
they are qualified to make that decision and should not be asked to do so.

If I had my way, which I don’t, I would leave the ultimate
punishment for First Degree Murder in the hands of the convicted murderer. In other words, the judge would sentence said
individual to life in prison without chance of parole or death – the individual’s
choice. However, I would require that
individual to spend at least one year in prison before they would be given the
opportunity to make a choice.

I’ve never been incarcerated. I’ve worked in a jail, and I have visited a
few prisons. I’ve talked to many
prisoners and former prisoners. Although
limited, there are opportunities in prison for those who wish to pursue
them. You do not necessarily have to spend your time
moldering away and cursing your fate. If
any prisoner is reading this, he or she will, of course, say: ‘That’s easy for you to say (expletive
deleted)!’ Nonetheless, I believe it to
be true. There are worse
conditions. Ask a prisoner doing ‘life’
if they would be willing to trade places with a quadriplegic.

On a somewhat lighter side, in my previous post, I used the
maxim ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’ – in reference to Jodi Arias. And, after I had published the post, I began
to wonder about the origin of that saying.
To me it sounded like something Mark Twain might say – so I looked it
up. The phrase was coined long before
Mark Twain.

The exact quote is “Heaven
has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” This was from a play by William Congreve
(1670 – 1729) titled The Morning Bride
(1697). Congreve was an English
playwright and poet, and a life-long friend of Jonathan Swift.

So, I guess the potential fury of women, as far back as the
17th century, was well known and documented.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Jodi Arias has been found guilty of Murder in the First
Degree for the killing of her one time ‘boyfriend,’ Travis Alexander. I suppose that I was a little surprised by
the verdict. Although, I think the jury
made the right decision. I had previously
mentioned to friends and one of my readers that I expected a verdict of Murder
in the Second Degree – or a murder without the provable element of
premeditation. Why? Well, in retrospect, and after hearing
additional testimony in the trial, it’s hard to say. I suppose that I was influenced by two
elements – one, admittedly, not very professional. First, the extreme violence was, in my
opinion, not generally associated with a premeditated murder. It was too over-the-top, too violent, too
bizarre, too bloody with the manifest potential to reveal the identity of the
killer. Secondly, I suppose I was
influenced by my personal perspective of the ‘gentler sex.’ I know.
I know. I’m just getting
soft. It’s part of the aging
process. I realize that women can and do
premeditate murder. It’s just that women
do not normally slaughter their victim in such a gruesome way. Although, as they say, ‘hell hath no fury like a woman
scorned.’ I should have known
better. That’s why I have always
appreciated others’ insights to my blog posts.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The Oregonian’s front page article today – “$2.3 M for Officer’s Mistake” – is more
than a little distressing. I suppose
that’s because the story seems too consistent with what appears to be a sad pattern
at the Portland Police Bureau.

For those of you unfamiliar with the background of this
story, it concerns a police officer named Dane Reister. Reister reportedly loaded live rounds in a
shotgun designed to shoot beanbags, and then shot a mentally disturbed, unarmed
individual named William Kyle Monroe.
Reister contends it was an accident.
(Hard to believe I know.) Monroe survived, barely,
but is physically disabled for the rest of his life. Reister fired four live rounds at Monroe; and attempted to fire a fifth round, but somehow
ejected that round by mistake (or should I say by good fortune for Monroe, or Mr. Monroe
would be almost certainly dead).

Relevant facts:

Reister
has been charged with 3rd and 4th Degree Assault and
Negligent Wounding (whatever that is) in the June 2011 shooting. He has not gone to trial as yet, and
remains free on ‘paid administrative leave’ from the Portland Police
Bureau.

The
Portland Police Bureau Chief Mike Reese and the former Portland Mayor Sam
Adams have apologized to Mr. Monroe, stating that the incident was most regrettable
and admitting that Officer Reister violated several procedures in the
shooting.

OK, then what more is there to say? Well, for example, it has been almost two
years since the shooting. And, the
Portland Police Bureau has yet to take any significant administrative action
against Reister – other than putting him on a two year paid vacation.

Chief Reese comes-off as something of a weak administrator,
even wimpy in his empty apology and his lack of action. After all, it was not necessary for the
Portland Police Bureau to await the outcome of the pending civil case before instituting
an inquiry and the appropriate disciplinary action -- which would probably
include Reister’s termination. Maybe
this is a little unfair. The Chief may
be a nice guy; but, unfortunately, leadership is apparently not the Chief’s
forte.

Or, is it possible that he has been cowed by the strong police
union that calls the shots around the Portland Police Bureau? That would be my guess.

Three Laws for Effective Gun Control

Here are three potential laws that I would recommend for effective gun control:

1) Convicted felon in possession of a gun: automatic three years in prison - no judicial discretion - no chance for parole.

2) Knowingly selling or furnishing a gun to a convicted felon: automatic three years in prison - no judicial discretion - no chance for parole.

3) Theft of a gun, during the commission of a felony: automatic three years in prison - no judicial discretion - no chance for parole - sentence in addition to any time associated with the attendant felony.